"in Him is life," instead of "in Him was life." Whereas that reading is now found only in the Sinaitic manuscript, and in the famous Cambridge copy of the Gospels known as the "Codex Beza"; although it is shown in most copies of the Italic version, in the old Syriac, and the oldest Coptic versions. 4. Jerome mentions, in reference to Matt. XIII. 35, that Porphyry, the opponent of Christianity in the third century, accused the Evangelist of having said "which was spoken by the prophet Isaiah," a reading which is exhibited also by an authority of the second century. To which Jerome adds that well-informed people had long before removed the name of Isaiah from the passage. Now, of all our manuscripts of a thousand years old, not one exhibits the name of Isaiah except the Sinaitic, with which a few of later date agree. 5. The passage John XIII. 10 is cited six times by Origen; but the Sinaitic MS. alone (with a few copies of the old Italic version) gives it as Origen does, namely, "He that is washed needeth not to wash, but is clean every whit." 6. In John VI. 51-where the passage is very difficult to settle the Sinaitic Codex alone among all Greek manuscripts has the undoubtedly right reading, namely, “If any man eat of My bread he shall live for ever. The bread which I will give for the life of the world is My flesh," which is confirmed by Tertullian, at the end of the second century. Many other examples of the kind might be given. In the facsimile steel engraving which forms the frontispiece to the volume, my readers may examine for themselves the style in which each of the three great manuscripts so often mentioned is written. Initial letters are found in the Alexandrine Codex only, and in not having them the other two agree with the Herculanean rolls of the first century. I have only further to speak of the method pursued in the printing of this edition. The text is that of the English "Authorised Version," exactly reproduced; and in the notes are given the variations from that text in the three manuscripts above named:— S*, V*, and A* denote that the words so accompanied are the original reading of the respective MSS., though altered by a later hand; while the later readings themselves are denoted by S2, V2, or A2 respectively. But my readers will bear in mind that, as a rule, I give only the original readings, and very rarely the ancient corrections. The sign "om." denotes that the words to which it is prefixed are omitted; "adds" or "add" that they are added. For instance: "SV om. ever" signifies that in the Sinaitic and Vatican MSS. the word "ever," given in the English text, is omitted: while "A adds saying" signifies that the Alexandrine MS. adds that word to the passage referred to in the English text. Notes belonging to the same words in the text are divided by a comma; those belonging to a fresh passage by a semicolon. When words from the text are quoted in the notes they are followed by a colon, and then by the correction of the manuscript. Thus, "suffered he their manners: A bore he as a nurse"--which denotes that the last five words are given in the Alex. MS. instead of the first four which stand in the English. Many obvious blunders which are found in the manuscripts are passed over in silence. But others, evidently wrong, are so denoted by the words "an error" or "a mere error." I have no doubt that very shortly after the books of the New Testament were written, and before they were protected by the authority of the Church, many arbitrary alterations and additions were made in them. On the other hand, many variations are obviously only matters of pronunciation, and of little importance; others again arise only from the Greek idiom, and therefore need not be noticed. Inaccurate or insufficient renderings I have denoted by the words "translate" or "all MSS." Thus "translate by the well" denotes that that is a more accurate rendering than the "on the well" of the English Bible. Scholars like Trench, Scrivener, and Alford, whom I have usually followed in such cases, will know how to add to these latter corrections, but the plan of my work did not allow me to give more than I have actually given. Lastly, I have to acknowledge the kind assistance that I have received in this work from my learned friend Mr. B. Harris Cowper. No single work of ancient Greek classical literature can command three such original witnesses as the Sinaitic, Vatican, and Alexandrine Manuscripts, to the integrity and accuracy of its text. That they are available in the case of a book which is at once the most sacred and the most important in the world is surely matter for the deepest thankfulness to God. Leipzig, Christmas, 1868. Constantine Tischendorf. |